Second Chances
by Ecklectric
Summary: Thrown into the past, Buffy and Dawn struggle to figure out what they're doing there, and prevent the mistakes they made. Wackiness, angst, and various smoochies ensue. Story begins post-NFA, past timeline begins in S5. Eventual Spuffy.
1. Of Keys and Empty Houses

** A/N:** The thing that happens with Dawn at the beginning isn't something I really came up with, but I really can't remember where I read it. If whoever came up with that is reading this, please let me know and I'll give you credit and cookies. Rest assured that's the only thing I borrowed. 

I hope everybody likes this. It's definitely AU, but I've tried to keep as close to canon as I could where things didn't need to be changed. Please do the reviewing thing. I like it lots. Concrit very welcome, flames laughed at. Don't worry about this not getting finished-- there's 30,000 more words where this came from, and I'm getting it posted as fast as I can. Enjoy!

**Chapter One  
Of Keys and Empty Houses**

Demons. Corpses. Demon corpses. Survivors, maybe. Spike and Angel weren't dust, but they weren't exactly conscious either.

"We need to get them somewhere." Dawn's voice rang out like a shot in the silence. "The rest of the team is two hours behind us, at least."

Buffy nodded, mentally distancing herself from meanings at the moment, from ramifications and choices and feelings. Just another job. She couldn't let herself think right now. "Let's get them into the car. We'll find someplace. I think the Hyperion was burnt down, but there may be something left. We can try there first." She started trying to negotiate carrying the two knocked-out vampires to the car six blocks away, outside the wide radius of rubble and fallen buildings, and all but dropped them when she heard Dawn scream. She did drop them when she looked at her sister, seeing her surrounded by a blinding green light. "DAWN!" Buffy rushed toward her. The light was taking over everything, and Buffy only vaguely registered Dawn gesturing for her not to come any closer as she reached out to grab her. The light faded, the world faded and fell away, spinning, until they landed hard on the...grass?

"What just happened?" Dawn said, her voice trembling.

Buffy shook her head. "I don't know. Did you... did you touch something, do something?"

"No, I didn't do anything, I was just standing...oh my god."

Buffy and Dawn registered the sight before them at the same time, the house. As long as it had been, it was really no time at all, and they'd have known it anywhere. "Oh my god is right. We're either in Hell or Sunnydale."

"Or both."

"Point."

"Is this real?"

"Feels like it is... you must've done some...Key...portal...thing."

"I didn't mean to!"

"Shh. I know. We just need to figure out what's going on, where this really is, what this really is, like if we're..." Buffy forgot words as she looked down at her outfit. The shoes gave it away, idiotic as that was. They'd been ruined some three years ago by demon goo. "Dawn, we're..." A look at her hands clenched it. No scars. "Dawn. I think we've gone back in time somehow, put into our bodies from back then."

Dawn took stock of her own body, her centre of gravity awkward from a shorter height she wasn't used to. "I think you're right. I'm a lot younger."

Buffy held out her hands. "Look. The scars are gone. I haven't..."

Dawn immediately lifted her t-shirt. Her own scars were absent as well. "And Glory hasn't..."

"Oh my god." They both came to the same realisation, logic going out the window as they ran into the house.

"MOM!" They both shouted in unison. No answer. A quick look around the house confirmed their fears.

Buffy put her arm around Dawn. "I think we're too late for that."

Dawn sighed. "I don't think I could've gone through it again."

"Okay, so, we're back here. Is this an...an accident, or were we sent back to change something?

Dawn shook her head. "I don't know. I've never been much for the quantum leaping. But, I mean, considering, maybe it's about stopping Glory. With both of us alive."

"Makes sense. All we'd have to do is get Ben. But god, Dawnie, I don't know if I can kill a... a person."

"A person hosting a hellgod."

"Point taken."

"And, I mean, just think of all the things we could fix! Keep Tara alive, keep Willow from going all scary-veiny-destructo, keep Xander from leaving Anya..."

"Spike," Buffy whispered.

"Spike! Right!"

"I could do it right this time," Buffy said, more to herself than to Dawn. "But... we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. I mean, how do we know we're here for that reason? What if this is just some fluke, and our past selves are all weirded out and stuck in the future?"

"Then they'll figure it out and find a way to switch back. They've got a thousand things working for them there that we don't. If they're even there."

"So maybe we shouldn't change things."

"Buffy, do you think for a second that you could just sit back and watch all those mistakes get made again?"

"What if they weren't mistakes? What if it was meant to be that way?"

"Fuck that. How many doom and gloom prophecies have you skirted around now? When that glowy thing happened to me, I felt something weird. It was like I... I don't know, I can't explain it. I knew it was right."

"Well, your glowing, I guess, your call." She sighed. "And you're right. If we're here past Glory, there's no way I could let things play out the way they did before. Too bad this isn't really Quantum Leap. We'd have that dude with the computer thing to tell us what to do."

"Yeah, but then we'd be Scott Bakula, and that's never good."

"Please don't start on the Enterprise rant again."

"Sorry. I wonder if that's even on yet." Dawn sat down on the couch and turned on the TV.

Buffy flopped down next to her. "This is so not the time for TV-watching."

"I'm trying to figure out the date!" she exclaimed, flipping to the Weather Channel. "God. Mom's funeral was yesterday."

"Okay, so, where are we today, and what are we doing?"

"Uh, looks like we're here."

"I mean the last time, but-- oh, god! What if the past us...es...the past you and me...are still here?"

"We wouldn't be, not and have these bodies."

"Oh, good. I really hate time paradoxes. Why do you know that, anyway?"

Dawn smirked. "I read. You should try it. Okay, so, today... oooh. I'm probably angsting and trying to raise Mom. I'm not sure what you're doing."

"No raising Mom."

"That goes without saying."

"I think I was just around here moping. Do you think we should tell Giles about this?"

"Nuh-uh. I know this isn't exactly the Sci-Fi channel, but if people are sent back to do something, they're not really supposed to... y'know, tell. And that'd be soooo hard to explain. We can do some research, but I think for now we need to operate on the assumption that we're here to change the Glory badness and concentrate on that. But I don't want to say anything to anyone until we're sure what this is."

"Okay, Watcher-lady, you're the boss. All right, so, we're grieving. Probably not too hard to pretend. Everyone already knows you're the Key, so no worries there. Can't be too nice to Spike, or I can't, anyway. Have to work up to it. Or, wait, do you think I should keep that the same?"

"I think we should try to change anything that we think was a mistake."

"Well, the way I treated Spike was like, mistake-o bellgrande, so that definitely falls under changing. At least Riley's gone. I don't think I could deal with him, knowing what I know. I think thing number one is to get Ben gone, keep you from those knight guys. Oh! And no shoplifting, missy!"

"Don't worry. I don't have to learn that lesson twice."

"Okay, so we're agreed? We tell no one?"

"No one. And I think we should like... discuss it before we try to change anything major. But I think we're pretty much agreed on it all. God, I just hope we don't screw up."

"We'll do okay. One apocalypse at a time. But Dawn, I don't think we're going to be able to save everyone every time. We might lose people still, and we've got to be ready for that. But we have to be able to do some good, right? There's no bad here, right?"

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself."

Buffy sighed. "Maybe I am. I guess it's just... the whole meant to be thing again."

"I think that if there's any set-in-stone destiny for anything, it's going to happen anyway. Maybe differently, but happen. Like when you tried to dodge the Master prophecy."

"So I might die anyway."

Dawn drew a ragged breath. "I don't know. Maybe. I don't want you to. And... Buffy, if you do again, I'm going to have to let them bring you back, you know that, right?"

Buffy nodded slowly. "Yeah. I understand that. But...god, just promise me I won't have to..." She looked down at her hands.

Dawn understood. She didn't want to have to claw her way out of her own grave again. "Don't worry. If it comes to that, I'll make sure... OHGOD." She looked at Buffy, eyes wide. "The Buffybot. Warren."

"Let's get Glory first, okay? Though I'm so taking out that bot the first chance I get. We don't have long for Glory, a few weeks at most. God, I can't believe I'm thinking about murder."

"Buffy, it's the only way. He died anyway, the last time."

"I know. Too bad I don't know any hitmen. If Spike didn't still have that chip... Oh, damn. The chip/soul thing. As in chip, but no soul. And I'm all non-resurrected, so he can't hurt me and... Daaaawn, it's so complicated!" Buffy buried her face in a cushion.

"Hey, one apocalypse at a time, you said. We get Glory, go from there if we're still here. Hey, I bet you could get Angel to eat him!"

Buffy snorted. "Yeah, right. He'd do a lot of things for me, but I don't think murder is one of them. Besides, I'm more than a little peeved at Angel right now, since that whole mess in LA was an Angel-made disaster."

"Spike would."

"I know he would. But he can't."

"Buffy... if Spike doesn't get the soul, could you still..."

She sighed. "Yeah. I think I could. But he's still got some changing to do. Glory first, then we'll see. I need to take out Ben and get you the hell out of town, where those knights can't get at you."

* * *

And one more note... I'm kinda new to the whole Buffy thing, so I'd love to have an experienced and picky beta for this. I've got an RL friend doing the job right now, but it's not really her thing. So if you've got mad beta skills (like the kind where you'll rip my writing apart with a rusty fork), please email me and we'll talk! 3  



	2. Of Hellgods and Homicide

**Chapter Two  
Of Hellgods and Homicide  
**>  
The next day, Buffy called Ben for a coffee date. It was easy. Too easy, so easy it scared her. A mocha, a shortcut through the cemetery, a neck snapping in her hands. Anti-climactic, really. She more expected some mystical explosion, at the very least, or to be transported back to where she'd come from. But it was just a death, and she stood there holding the body. Not like he wouldn't have met it sooner or later. Giles had never really told her, never really told anyone, but they'd all known. Or she had, anyway. Sometimes she wondered how he'd done it, if it had been so easy for him, if he'd been sorry or just stored it away with the Ripper part of him. But there was reality in front of her now. Logistics. She hated how death came with logistics. The problem of being the last to see him alive, and an alibi. She kicked through the door of Spike's crypt without a second thought. She really, really hoped she wouldn't have to witness the bot.

Spike was alone, but he did look a bit rumpled. Buffy suppressed a shudder at the implications. Sleeping. He was sleeping. Or... doing naked push-ups. Or. _Oh, shut up, brain._

"Slayer! To what do I owe the breaking and entering?" It was all she could do to keep from melting into a sobbing mass and throwing herself into his arms. _I hate him right now_, she reminded herself.

Buffy sighed. "I need your help."

"Didn't know you were accessorising with dead bodies these days."

"Spike, listen to me. This guy is Glory. Was. Was Glory. Sharing a body, wacky mystical split personalities. And before you attack my moral compass, I had no choice and you know it."

"Preachin' to the choir, luv."

_No, no, don't get moony-eyed at terms of endearment._ "I'm not your _love."_

"Right. So. You need my help, do you? What's it worth to you?"

"What do you want?" Can of worms.

"Hm. That you might actually agree to?" He sniffed at the body. "Only dead a few minutes. Lemme drain 'im."

"Suit yourself. The deader the better, in my opinion." She tossed him the body, not flinching or looking away as he drank.

"So. What do you need, Slayer?"

"For you to hide the body for a while, get rid of it somewhere later. And... and I need you to be seen with me. Be my alibi."

A predatory grin. "All roses for me. Looks like you're doing me the favour. Though I have to ask, why me? Why not your beloved Scoobies?"

"Because. Hellgod or not, Ben is...was human. I'm not sure they'd understand."

"Too bloody right they wouldn't. How you gonna tell them?"

"With any luck, I won't have to. Tomorrow I'm getting us all out of town till the time has passed for the portal to be opened."

"Portal?"

"I'll explain later," she fumbled, realising that she wasn't supposed to know this yet. "Let's go."

"Right. Where to?"

"Bronze first. Make like we're looking for him. Then back to the Espresso Pump, like maybe I was confused where I was supposed to meet up with him again. Then back to the Bronze."

"Hell of a lot of trouble."

"I've got to have an airtight story, in case when he's found somebody decides to look at his phone records."

"Right, then. Off we go. You wouldn't make a bad criminal mastermind, pet," he said, grinning.

"I'm not your pet!" _Oh, I so am._

A smirk. "I'm upping the ante. Tonight, you are."

"Spike, if you think for a second--"

"Not like that, miss mind-in-the-gutter. I mean just...make like you don't hate me for a few hours."

"I don't hate you." Barely above a whisper.

Something crossed Spike's face that would've been indiscernible to her, in this time, but she now knew as hope. Then it was quickly replaced with the customary bad-ass mask. "Convincing. Let's be off, then."

It sort of scared Buffy how well she'd learnt to lie. Displaying concern, confusion, questioning every employee at the Bronze, and then at the Espresso Pump, even making the cashier ask the waitstaff if Ben had been back, asking them in an urgent tone to tell him Buffy was looking for him if he turned up. She was terribly grateful that Spike didn't comment once they were alone again, on their way back to the Bronze to be seen not-murdering.

"Don't s'pose we really need to go back there," he said quietly."

"No, we should."

"I don't want a pity date."

"It's not pity and it's not a date. Maybe I've watched too many cop shows, but they'll only be able to place the time of death within a few hours. I need the whole night covered."

"Got more sense than I thought... That came out wrong."

"No, I know what you meant."

"Back to the Bronze, then." He paused for a moment. "If your mates turn up, you can punch me or something. For show."

That was sweet, in a twisted way. "They won't. They're all at Xander's, watching Dawn. I gave them a story. They think I'm out to capture and interrogate one of Glory's minions."

"You gonna tell 'em the truth?"

"If I have to. But like I said, out of town, portal time passes, we're home free. Long as the Knights Who Say Ni don't get us."

Spike chuckled. "Never pegged you for a Monty Python fan, Slayer."

Oh, right. She hadn't been. "I'm full of surprises."

"How's the Bit holding up? What with your mum and all?"

"She's...dealing. I think. It's not easy, for either one of us. I had to talk her out of some half-cocked resurrection spell. I sort of feel like the crisis is a good distraction."

"Makes sense, really. So what about this portal?"

The rest of the walk back to the Bronze was taken up with Buffy's as-vague-as-possible explanation. She finally had to tell him she'd seen it in a Slayer dream, since having read it in a book would be far from believable. But he didn't question, just listened. The situation was becoming more date-like by the minute, right down to him holding the door open for her when they arrived at the Bronze. She wasn't going to let him buy her a drink-- that was going to be the line not crossed, but he gave her a look that told her he considered it part of their bargain. It broke her heart, really, that he didn't think he returned her feelings, that this was as close to a date as he thought he'd ever get. _Could_ she love him without a soul? She knew she loved him as she knew him three years in the future, but could she love him here and now? If he didn't get it this time, could she still be with him? If she even got to stay that long. One apocalypse at a time, she reminded herself.

"Slayer? Still with me?"

She must've been silent too long. "Yeah. Sorry. Just thinking about...everything."

She didn't have to pretend to flinch when he touched her hand, not out of disgust, but because it startled her. "Sorry," he said, pulling back.

"It's okay."

"How are you figuring on getting out of town?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Steal a motor home?"

Spike grinned. "I could do that."

"Bet you could." She couldn't fight a smile.

"Say the word, Slayer, and I'll get you some wheels."

"I'll let you know."

"This part of the act?"

"Nope. Dead serious here. I could buy one, but that'd mean either cleaning out my savings or a very interesting conversation with Angel." _Angel's lame. His hair goes straight up and he's bloody stupid._ For all the creep factor, it was so idiotically hilarious. Buffy burst out laughing.

"All right there?" Spike was clearly confused.

"Yeah...just...you ever just think of something hilarious at the stupidest time? Crack up laughing on the bus at last week's joke and everyone looks at you like you're nuts?"

"Yeah. Though mostly people think I'm murderous. What'd you think of?"

"Oh. It's...it's kinda lame if you weren't there. Actually, it's kinda lame even if you were."

"I see. Fancy a dance?"

That came out of nowhere. And as much as she wanted to, she knew that this year's Buffy would say no. "Spike..."

"Can't blame a bloke for asking."

Screw this year's Buffy. Part of what had gone wrong with Spike was that this year's Buffy was a moron. "It's not that. I just don't feel much like dancing."

"We've probably been here long enough."

"It's okay if you want to go."

"I just thought you did."

"Not really. I'm not ready to be explainy-girl yet."

"'Nother drink, then?"

"Also not ready to be drunk girl."

"You've only had the one."

"Believe me. I think Slayer strength and alcohol tolerance are like, inversely proportional." This year's Buffy would so not know those last two words. Oh well.

Spike laughed. "Well, I'm getting one for myself. Anything you want? Wings? Onion?"

"I wouldn't say no to a diet Coke."

"Coming up."

Buffy did have another drink, a diet Coke and a water later, while Spike had so many beers she lost count. Her future alcohol tolerance was a lot better than her now alcohol tolerance, but what with the body thing, she didn't want to tempt fate.

"Gotta say, Slayer," Spike said as closing time rolled around, "I have to wonder just how much of this is you humouring me."

Buffy shrugged. "Less than it started out as."

Spike didn't make an attempt to hide his smile. Maybe he'd shut down the bot out of guilt, if she gave him hope of something real. Could he feel guilt? God, this was hard. All she wanted to do was slam him into a wall and ravage him, but she had to be all aloof-girl. Stupid past.

"I want to leave tomorrow," she said. "Can you handle that?"

"Yeah. I can deal with hellgod boy tonight and have the wheels to you in the morning. I'll take care of the Hellmouth while you're away."

Right. The Hellmouth. Slayage. Sacred duty. Damn. It would make sense. But she needed him with her. She couldn't leave it unguarded, though... Well, she'd figure that out later. "No."

"No?"

"No, as in you're coming with us."

"Why? I'm no use against the Renaissance faire."

"You might be. And you know what Dawn is, which makes it dangerous for you to stay here. Glory has freaky brain-sucking powers. I've seen her do it." Yay, lies! "And besides, as much as I hate to say it, you're better with Dawn than any of us. I think she'd feel better if you were there."

"'f that's what you want."

"It is."

"What about the Hellmouth? It'll be demon bloody anarchy once they figure out the Slayer's scarpered."

Oh, that. Well, her sense of pride was more or less gone when it came to Angel. For all the bullshit he'd put her through the past week... well, the past week before she came to the past... god, why didn't verbs work in her head anymore? "I'll call Angel."

Spike snorted. "He'll love that. Knight in shining armour, whole noble gig of his."

"He'll do it. Or send some of his guys. And if he won't...I honestly really don't give a rat's ass about Sunnydale if it means keeping Dawn safe." They turned the corner that led to Spike's cemetery.

"What're you gonna tell your mates?"

"Like I said, that we tortured one of her minions."

"We?"

"What? They're demons. You're good at torture."

Spike shrugged. "Your plan."

"It'll work. Ooh, but we both look a little too clean. We should make with the roughing-up."

"Much as I'd love to, Slayer, I don't really fancy getting one of those electronic migraines just for the sake of your ruse."

Oh. Right. He couldn't hurt her. "What if you're not trying to hurt me?"

"Dunno."

"Just spar with me, maybe. I bet you can hit me if you don't mean to hurt me."

"Better idea. Two vamps, ten o'clock."

"Sweet." She tossed him a spare stake and they took one each, making sure to let them get a couple of hits in before the staking. "That's better," Buffy chirped, brushing vamp dust from her jeans as she helped Spike up. "C'mon, let's get to Xander's."

"Oi, who said I was comin'? You can deliver your faux recon yourself, specially since Harris'll never invite me in. You want hellgod disposal and wheels, I'd better get on it."

"You're probably right."

"See you in a few hours, then."

"Yeah. And...thanks."

* * *

Mmm, Spuffy snark. There's more where that came from. And that reviewing thing? I like it. I really do. Please make me happy.


	3. Of Horoscopes and Hypocrisy

**A/N:** Wow, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I have to admit, I was kind of nervous about this, so I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying it. I really hate those long drawn-out notes where authors thank everybody, but I did want to answer one person-- **Allen Pitt, **you raised some very thoughtful questions, and I'm happy to say that I did take a lot of that into consideration already, and I think I address some of it in this chapter, and the rest is more or less accounted for later. Without giving too much away, this whole story is about balance, in that if one thing gets easier, something else gets harder. Solving one problem creates a new one, and so on. I'm not having Buffy and Dawn make all these changes just for the sake of playing in a kinder, gentler universe, and they don't have an easy road ahead of them. I guess the short way of saying that is just bear with me. Parades and cotton candy must be earned.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you like this chapter. One last note, there's a POV shift to Dawn, and I'm having trouble getting ffnet to do my bidding in terms of putting in the proper line breaks around it, so sorry if you get confused.

**Chapter Three  
Of Horoscopes and Hypocrisy**

The gang accepted Buffy's story easily, and Giles arrived in record time with books to fill in the details. Buffy's brilliant plan was met with much less enthusiasm.

"So, what?" Xander said. "We just hide her until it's too late for the ritual, and then everyone just gives up looking for her?"

"They're not looking for her," Buffy said. "They don't know it's her. They're looking for me because they know I have the Key. Would you rather just hang out here and wait for them to beat down the door?"

"Well, no," Xander said. "I'm just saying maybe it would be smarter to stay and fight."

"Fight, how?" Buffy exclaimed. "Those knight guys just keep coming and coming, and I can't just kill them, they're...people." Oh, sweet hypocrisy. She was glad Spike had refused to come with her, because he'd definitely be giving her a look right now. "And never mind Glory kicking my ass every time I even get near her!"

"Buffy, Xander has a point," Giles said. "I'm not sure running would solve anything. Both the Knights and Glory have proven that they can find you if they want to."

"You guys, this is not open to discussion," Buffy said. "You want to stay, fine. But this isn't just about fighting them. This is about protecting Dawn. If that portal gets opened..." Giles sighed and began cleaning his glasses. Buffy looked around at her friends' strained expressions. "Look, I know this won't make it all go away, but I need to know Dawn's safe. And I'd like to keep you guys safe too."

Dawn raised her hand. "And just as a sidenote from the person they want to cut open, I'm liking the leaving plan."

"They're still going to find us, though," Xander said. "That's what I've been trying to say this whole time."

"Not if they can't see us," Willow said, looking up from the text she'd been going through. "I'm pretty sure I can come up with a spell to hide us, if not for the whole time, at least long enough to confuse the heck out of 'em."

Buffy exchanged a glance with Dawn, who she could tell was thinking the same thing. The further Willow went, the harder it would be to pull her back. But who was to say she was even still going to be here when it came time for that? Maybe Willow wasn't her responsibility. And this wouldn't be mad raging you-brain-sucked-my-girlfriend vengeance magic, it would be protection. And that was okay, right? She sighed. They needed to get through this, and they needed Willow to do it. If she was still here when it was all over, she'd figure out something to help Willow before it was too late. Another glance at Dawn confirmed that she seemed to be arriving at the same conclusion. "Okay, great," Buffy said finally. "Make sure you've got all the supplies you need. Whoever's with me, we're leaving in the morning."

Willow's decision meant Tara would come, and the rest of the group was slowly swayed. There was some protest when Buffy dropped the other shoe, being that Spike would be coming with them, but Buffy was firm enough and Dawn whiny enough that everyone grudgingly accepted. It made Buffy feel a little sick that she had to play on their distrust of him to get them to agree, pointing out that he knew Dawn was the Key, and what was to stop him from telling Glory if she got to him? The image of Spike, beaten and tortured was vivid in her mind as she went about convincing everyone, repeating silent apologies even as she emphasised that he couldn't be trusted not to tell. It felt like a betrayal, but it had to be done.

Willow and Tara went with Anya to get supplies from the Magic Box, and Giles went with Xander to the grocery store. Buffy and Dawn were left alone in Xander's apartment.

"You should try to sleep," Buffy told her.

"I know. I don't think I can."

"I know the feeling. Glory's gone, though."

"Just like that. It's so easy."

"It was...god, Dawn, it was too easy."

"You think maybe Glory got herself another body?"

"No, she was trapped in that one. I meant...what I did. What I had to do. It was too easy. It scares me."

"He was a monster too. You remember that, right?"

Buffy nodded slowly and pulled Dawn into a hug. "I hate this," she whispered.

"We'll make it," Dawn said. "We'll make it and it'll be better."

Dawn did eventually doze off on the couch, and Buffy sat watching the clock. Willow, Tara and Anya returned at four with what looked like half the shop. Giles and Xander followed half an hour later with enough bottled water and non-perishable food for a small army. And they'd fortunately taken her hint to get some motion sickness medicine. They'd even gotten blood for Spike, which made her have to hide a smile. One by one, they dozed off as well. And Buffy waited, watching the minutes tick by. She was trying to wait for a decent time to call Angel, but at five-thirty, she couldn't wait any longer. She needed it over with.

She instinctively started to dial his cell, but then remembered it probably didn't exist yet. She just hoped someone was at the office this early. She breathed a sigh of relief when someone answered the phone. "Angel Investigations."

"Um...Cordelia?"

"Yeah...Buffy, is that you?"

"Yeah, long time no...anyway. Is Angel around?"

"He just went to bed. We've been here researching all night."

She really should have thought of that. "I need you to wake him up, Cordy. It's really important," she said in her I'm-the-Chosen-One-and-I-mean-business tone.

"Uh. Okay. Sure, just hold on a minute. But don't blame me if you get cranky-pants Angel."

"Thanks."

It didn't take as long as she thought it might. She heard some muffled conversation and then Angel's voice came on the line. "Buffy? What's the matter?"

"Angel! Sorry about getting you out of bed, but I need you to do something for me. Dawn's got some freaky knights and a hellgod after her, and it's a really long story that I promise I'll explain later, but we have to get the hell out of dodge, and I need someone to keep the Hellmouth in check. Just for three weeks or so."

"No problem. I'll go myself, or send Gunn and some of his guys." Not a moment's hesitation. One of the things she loved and hated about him.

"Thanks, Angel. I owe you big. Whoever comes can use my house. Do you need me to hide a key somewhere?"

"No, we'll work it out. You just get Dawn to safety and don't worry about anything else. Though I have to say, I'm looking forward to the story."

"I'll fill you in when we get back. If anyone comes looking for me, I'm visiting my dad. Nobody knows where the hell he is right now, so no one would be able to check."

"Got it. Be careful, Buffy."

"I will."

Spike arrived soon after (with the same camper from before, she noticed), and they loaded up and got on the road. It was tense the first few minutes. The only conversation was Willow and Tara muttering over their spell books. There was a collective sigh of relief once they'd passed the city limits without incident. Buffy immediately stood up, going into pre-apocalypse command mode without even thinking about it.

"Okay, here's the plan. We keep moving. Stop when we can, but not for long. Willow, Tara, even if you can keep that spell up for a couple of hours at a time, it'll help. Everyone should take shifts driving, I don't want anyone wearing themselves out in case we have to fight. Spike, you should stay in the back during daylight and-- WHY are you all staring at me like that?"

Dawn gave her a look. "You're just like, General Buffy all of a sudden." Meaning oops, coming on a little strong with the three-years-future persona.

She laughed nervously. "Sorry. I'm just a little wigged. I got carried away."

"Thus far, it sounds like a fine plan," Giles said. "Spike, you should let one of us take the wheel so we can get this foil off the windshield."

"Buffy, remember, you can't drive," Dawn hissed when Buffy moved forward to volunteer.

She swiftly changed her course and got a bottle of water out of one of the grocery bags. She wondered if maybe she should make a list of all the stuff she didn't know how to do yet.

It was a long, tedious day for Buffy, having to answer the same questions from Giles over and over, struggling not to give away anything she couldn't have been told by a tortured minion. All while trying not to grin stupidly at Tara and Anya, since it had finally set in that they were really here, really alive. And she was going to do her damnedest to keep them that way. For all the monotony of Giles' questions, it helped to distract her, especially when she saw Dawn go into the back where Spike was. All she wanted to do was run to him. But she couldn't, not yet.

"Why aren't you up there with the Scooby brigade?" Spike asked, not really looking up from the book he was reading.

Dawn shrugged. "They're boring. Willow and Tara are doing witchy stuff, Giles is grilling Buffy, and Xander and Anya are playing the freakin' license plate game. Besides," she said, dropping her voice, "I'm afraid I'll say too much." Man, that was an understatement.

"Too much?"

"Yeah. I know what really happened. I mean, I sort of do."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Do you, now?"

"Yeah. Some of it was my idea. We knew everyone else wouldn't understand."

"But the evil, soulless murderer would," he said bitterly.

"No! It's not like that. Buffy needs you. We all need you."

He snorted. "When it suits her purpose. Knows I could never say no to her, that's all. As for the rest of 'em, they'd stake me if she said the word."

"Well, they're stupid." Dawn really hated the whiny quality of her teenage voice.

"Slayer hates me. I'm just convenient. When it really counts, she doesn't trust me. Why do you think she's got the Poof protecting Sunnydale? So she can keep an eye on me."

"Spike, no. She may've said that, but...you know how she is. She's like a guy trying to pretend he didn't cry at Titanic. You're here because she wants you here. You wouldn't be if she didn't, even if she's making up other reasons." Maybe this wouldn't help, but she had to try.

"Nice of you to humour me, Niblet, but we both know she'll never--"

"How do you know? She might!"

"There's always maybe. But it's bloody stupid to hope."

"I really think you...well, maybe not a chance with her," Dawn said. "But maybe a chance to have a chance. I know you don't have a soul yet--"

"Yet?"

Shit. "And yet, I meant to say," she covered quickly. "And yet you know what's right and what's wrong. And you can love, and you can be good. Maybe you should try proving that to her. Be her friend."

"That's a lot of doing and a lot of proving. An' who am I kidding? Why would she want me as her friend after all the stuff I've done to her?"

"She might surprise you. All I'm saying is to try. If she's worth it to you."

"You know she is."

There was so much she wanted to say, but she just smiled and went out the door. She wasn't sure she'd accomplished anything, and she wasn't sure it was going to work out. But she felt better for having tried.

Willow and Tara had a good strong cloaking spell in place by nightfall, one that hid them from anyone who wished them harm, so they stopped at a campsite long enough to shower and fill the gas and water tanks. Buffy was very glad that Xander seemed to know how to deal with the waste receptacle, because she really didn't want to be going anywhere near it. Dawn got her alone and told her about her conversation with Spike.

Buffy grinned and hugged her. "Though you're so grounded for comparing me to a guy crying at a chick flick."

"I call 'em like I see 'em."

Spike took the wheel while everyone else piled into the sleeping area to get some rest. There was just the one double bed, the small single one having lost its mattress at some point in the past. They agreed to take turns with who got the bed. Willow and Tara won the toss for tonight, and there was enough room for Dawn to squeeze in next to them. As exhausted as she was, Buffy just couldn't keep her eyes closed for more than a few minutes. There were too many thoughts swimming around in her head, only a few of which made much sense at all. She finally gave up and went out into the main area of the camper and made herself a cup of tea, and heated some blood for Spike without even really thinking about it.

He shot her a strange look when she handed him the mug.

"I noticed you didn't eat when the rest of us did," she said by way of explanation.

"Didn' want to remind you you're travelling with an evil demon."

"Oh, please. I watched you feed last night. I fed you blood through a freakin' straw when you were chained up in a bathtub. SO over it."

He downed the blood without commenting.

"Any idea where we are?" she asked, looking out at the dark, nondescript road.

"Think we just passed through Albuquerque."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, the way you drive."

"Just makin' up for ol' Rupes' grandpa method."

Buffy laughed. "He does drive kinda slow. Do you need anything else?"

He looked surprised. "Not really. I wouldn' mind a fag, but Floppy Boy said he'd stake me if I lit up in here."

Buffy grabbed his duster off the back of her seat and handed him the cigarettes out of the pocket. "Not if I tell him not to. He probably won't even know. Just open the window."

Spike grinned and lit a cigarette. "How come you're still being nice?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

Oh, how she wished she could give him the real answer. But she just shrugged. "Because I figured out that you're a lot nicer if I am."

"Oh, so it's just a defensive tactic."

"That's not what I meant. I mean...well, since you're on our side now, I thought..." She sighed, feeling the frustration of all the things she wanted to say. "I just thought maybe beating you up all the time might not be the best way to relate to you."

"Oh, we're relating now, are we?" A lecherous grin.

"Spike! You know what I mean."

"Yeah. I do."

"I'm not saying we should have picnics and puppies, but, well...last night showed me how much I can like you when you let me." There. That sounded innocuous enough, right?

It clearly surprised him, but he smiled. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. Buffy felt silly just sitting there, but she really didn't know what to say to him right now.

"I guess the license plate game's out," she said finally. "Not much else on the road at this hour."

"You should sleep."

"I tried. I'm too worked up. All twitchy and edgy. I'd really like something to kill right now."

"Right there with you, Slayer."

"You want me to leave you alone? I'm sure there are some lovely educational materials to keep me occupied."

"Doesn't matter. We'll have to stop again soon. This thing sucks down petrol pretty quick."

"Willow said the spell would hold at least till morning."

They pulled into a truck stop a few minutes later. Buffy wandered around in the shop while Spike filled up the gas tank. She bought a magazine and a coke and went back out to join him. He didn't seem aware of her presence yet, leaning against the back of the camper smoking a cigarette. She just stood at a distance watching him for a moment as he gazed up at the stars. She loved looking at him when the thought no one was watching, seeing him without the mask of his cocky smirk and bravado. She took him in for another moment, then went over to lean next to him. "Anything good up there?" she asked.

"Just stars," he said.

Buffy was about to say something else, but she felt a familiar tingle on the back of her neck. "Vamps," she said.

Spike nodded. "Around the back, probably."

They grabbed a couple of stakes out of the camper and went to investigate. There were just two, feeding off a terrified truck driver who stood between them.

"Hey now, that's not very nice," Buffy said, stepping up next to them. The vamps didn't even move.

"What are you doing?" the truck driver said. "Get out of here! Call the police!"

"You're in luck," she said, grabbing the man and pulling him out of the attackers' grasp. "I am the police. Now run," she said. The truck driver bolted. The vamps were looking around, confused. The spell, she realised. They couldn't see her. She didn't waste any time staking them.

"Looks like you got your wish, pet," Spike said as they dusted.

"Yeah, too bad they didn't put up a fight. They couldn't see us because of the spell."

"Noticed that."

Back on the road, Buffy flipped through her Cosmo disinterestedly. Spike glanced at what she was reading and snorted. "What's the position of the month, then?" he asked.

"Oh, please, those are so lame," she said, blushing when she realised what she'd just said.

Spike laughed. "She's naughty."

"Shut up!"

He snickered. "Nothin' to be ashamed of, pet. Just figured Cap'n Cardboard for more of a missionary type."

Okay, it was possible to blush over a blush. "I am not having this conversation with you." Especially with all the memories it was bringing up. As well as the fact that he was completely right.

"Oh, don't get all virtuous on me."

"I'm not!" she said defensively. "It's just none of your business."

"Fine," he said with a dramatic sigh. "Read me my horoscope, then."

She giggled and flipped to the back. "Okay, what's your sign?"

"Scorpio," he said, lighting a cigarette.

"Okay... It says here, 'be a bitch. You're smarter than that phony who's playing mind games with you. Fight back by calling her out on it. Single? Don't pursue your workplace crush; you might get busted by a colleague. Attached? When Pluto puts you in a sensual slump on the 21st, ask for TLC to get back into the groove. Cosmic tip: On the 23rd, negotiate extra perks when Venus softens up your boss.'" Buffy laughed, trying to cover up the fact that some of it hit just a little too close to home. There was nothing to this stuff, really. "Wonder who'd be your boss? Me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Never."

They were quiet for a while, and Buffy felt herself intermittently dozing off. She wasn't really sure how long it had been when Spike next spoke. "Sun'll be up soon," he said.

A while, then. "Yeah. I'll wake up the gang. I think it's Giles' turn to drive. You could probably do with some rest."

When Giles took over driving, Spike went into the bedroom and shut the door. Buffy stuck around for breakfast, but she was exhausted and the light was hurting her eyes. She finally stood up to head for the back. "It's too bright in here," she said in response to her friends' reproving looks.

"But Spike..." Xander said, looking more than a little peeved.

"Knows better than to try anything," she finished for him. "I need to sleep, and that's where I'm going to do it."

Spike stirred when she entered. "You can have the bed," he said, sitting up and putting his feet on the floor.

Moment of truth. At least he was fully clothed. Oh, great, images she really didn't need. She summoned up all the nonsexy thoughts she could muster. "Don't be stupid," she said finally. "It's big enough." She climbed in and lay back, and felt him do the same after a moment. She held herself still and rigid so as not to touch him, fighting the urge to crawl into his arms. It would be so easy. But it was too soon. There was too much he had to go through yet. Assuming she was even still here at the end of all this. And what if she was screwing it all up? What if she was keeping him from even thinking he needed a soul? She drowned in uncertainties as she drifted off, sleep plagued by memories. Were they still memories if they hadn't happened yet?

Buffy forgot where and when she was when she woke up, wrapped up in Spike's cool, firm body. She sighed and snuggled closer, then reality came crashing back when she felt Spike stiffen. Damn. Stupid subconscious.

"Sorry," he muttered, moving away from her. "I didn't..."

She fought the urge to pull him back to her. "It's okay. I should've warned you."

"Warned?"

She laughed nervously. "I'm a cuddler." Then she realised what he must be thinking. "Spike, you know this doesn't--"

"Mean anything. I know."

God, the defeat in his eyes was killing her. She couldn't stop her hand from moving to his shoulder. "It...it does. Just not _that._" At least some of the sadness seemed to dissipate. He lifted her hand from his shoulder and held it for a second before letting it drop.

"How can you sit here with me like this? How can you...well, no, I s'pose you don't trust me, do you?"

And she had to admit to herself that for all she trusted the man she knew Spike could be, she didn't trust this Spike, not entirely. She knew how far he had to go. But... "I'm starting to."

"That's more than I deserve."

"So deserve it," she said emphatically.

He shut himself into the tiny bathroom without answering. One apocalypse at a time, she reminded herself. It was becoming a mantra.

Buffy played cards with Xander, Dawn and Anya for a while as Willow and Tara made lunch. "How's the cloaking action?" she asked Willow when they sat down to eat.

"Pretty good. I've managed to keep it going all on my own. Not even tired yet, and Tara's hardly had to do anything."

"That's great, Wil." Great in a maybe-not-great way.

"And I can take over when she does tire out," Tara said.

One thing at a time, yes, but if she stayed here, she still had to keep Willow from going dark. She hoped it was as simple as keeping Tara alive. She'd have to do some serious thinking when they got back if she didn't pull a Quantum Leap. Maybe she could get Giles to take Willow to the Coven now. Because the fact was, if she was going to do that spell on the Potentials in a couple of years... God, the chain of events made her head spin. Maybe this time, they wouldn't have to. Maybe she could get to the First before it got too strong. Maybe. Maybe. Too much maybe. She had to put it aside for now. She had enough to worry about without trying to fix things she might not even be here for. Though she had to wonder what the future was like now, just with the few things she'd changed since she'd been here. Who knew, maybe what she'd eaten for breakfast yesterday had caused mayhem and destruction a few years down the road. "And the world ends because of a bagel," she said under her breath.

* * *

Okay, maybe that wasn't the most interesting chapter ever, but I think I got some things out that needed to be dealt with. On the credit where credit is due front, Spike's horoscope was gacked directly from Cosmo. And this is where I make puppy-eyes and ask you to tell me what you think. :) Next chapter should be up very soon. Still on the market for a beta if anyone's up for the job. 


	4. Of Returns and Twisted Time

**A/N:** Thanks to a couple of fanon-savvy reviewers, I know now that the time-travel thing with Dawn's Key energy came from SinisterChic Heather Martin's fic "Replay," which is findable here on ffnet if you want to read it (and you totally should, it's good stuff). I've emailed her to ask if it's okay for me to use that idea, and hopefully it will be. If not, I'll tweak the beginning to something else, but the rest of the story will stay pretty much the same. Anyway, to the people who gave me the heads-up, thanks muchly for figuring out what my googling skills couldn't! 

To everyone else, thanks for your reviews, and I hope you're still enjoying the story! This chapter is a little weird, but I promise it'll make sense later. All in good time, my pretty. All in good time.

**Chapter Four  
Of Returns and Twisted Time**

A week on the road and they'd fallen into a sort of routine. Buffy kept Spike company at night, though he avoided sharing the bed with her again. But they did talk, and that was something. Buffy started to get nervous about Sunnydale, though. She finally asked Willow if the cloaking spell would let Angel get a phone call from her.

"Oh, yeah, totally. Unless he secretly wants to kill you, in which case he'd just think there was no one on the line."

"I think we're okay there," Buffy said.

She knew Spike was close enough to hear her when she made the call. He wasn't nearby, but Buffy knew vampire hearing was not to be underestimated. She'd have to be careful what she said.

She tried her house first, on the assumption that this probably wasn't the sort of thing Angel would leave to other people if he could help it. And she was right. It was nice to hear his voice-- by her perception, they'd spent a lot of time without contact. "Hey, it's me. I don't know where we are, but we're all okay. How's stuff there?"

"Pretty quiet. Nothing out of the ordinary. Few vamps, few demons, but no grand portents of doom. I haven't even run into Spike."

Oops. "Uh, Angel? That's because he's with us."

"What? Are you insane?"

"Angel, it's okay. He can't hurt us. And I don't think he'd try, honestly. He's helping us. There's some stuff you don't know."

"Clearly. But Buffy, you don't know him like I do. He's--"

"My friend," she said icily.

"Buffy..."

"Just don't, okay? I know what I'm doing."

He sighed. "I hope so. But we're going to have a long talk when you get back."

"The hell we are! I know I owe you an explanation for the whole skipping town thing, but you lost any right to tell me what to do when you left. I'll be happy to give you the explanation I promised you, but you're not going to change my mind about anything. You're doing me a huge favour and I'm incredibly grateful. But like I said, there's a lot of stuff you don't know."

"All right," he said in a tone that made it clear that it was far from all right. "I'm sorry. I just...I worry about you."

"I know. I'm sorry I yelled."

"It's okay."

"I have to go," she said.

"All right. Be careful." He sounded resigned, at least.

"How's the Hellmouth?" Spike asked, approaching her when she'd hung up the phone.

"Fine."

"Nice of you to stick up for me like that."

"Angel means well, but he doesn't really understand everything. God, I hope he's not reading my diary!"

Spike snickered. "He's too noble for that."

"Maybe he's too noble not to. He thinks he knows what's good for me, but most of the time he's clueless."

"Stupid prat. Anyone who'd walk out on you like that doesn't deserve you." He touched her shoulder, just for a second.

"It's so weird," she said, mind miles away. "The difference between you and Angel. Without a soul, he'd kill me in a second. And you've never had one, and yet you..."

"Love you."

She sighed. "Well, yeah. How is that possible?" Really, she still didn't understand it. Maybe she never would.

Spike shrugged. "I dunno. Angelus was a right bastard long before he was turned. I was just a bloody sad ponce. I think...I think the demon brings out different things in different people. And sure, I had the bloodlust, the violence, but..."

"You got over it?"

"Something like that. The chip--"

"I don't think the chip made you change."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it kept you from biting people, sure. But you could've killed us all without laying a hand on us. I don't think it made you change. I think it...let you."

"Maybe."

Later, she sat in the passenger seat as Spike drove. She had to ask. "Do you ever want a soul?"

"'s not a bloody fashion accessory, pet."

"I know. I just wondered."

He was silent for a few minutes. "There's stories," he said finally. "Of a demon, somewhere in Africa. Trials. Grants things...wishes. If you're worthy."

"So you do think about it." He'd known all that time?

"Sometimes, yeah. If it'd mean you'd--"

"No, Spike. Don't even say it. I'd never ask you to do that. If you ever did, it'd have to be because you wanted it for yourself." Even though he got it for her. She knew that. But he'd gotten it because he'd hurt her. And that was most certainly something she wasn't going to allow to happen. Not like that, anyway.

He sighed. "That makes sense. Not that...I just...bloody hell, Slayer, I don't know where the line would be, between doing that for myself and doing it for you."

She didn't answer. The subject was dropped. It hurt too much to think about it. But at least he had the idea in his head. Had he been thinking about it now already, the last time? The awful thing was, she knew deep down that he had to have the soul for her to be with him. Maybe not to start, but if she were going to stay. She hated it, but she knew it.

The days wore on and the road stretched before them. They'd turned north at some point, then west again, then south. A big circle. Willow finally tired out a week and a half in, and Tara took over holding the spell for a while. It didn't take Willow long to recover her powers, though. Not much more than a day. That was what did it for Buffy. One thing at a time or not, it wouldn't hurt anything if she made an effort now, even if she went back at the end of this.

"Giles, can I talk to you in the back?" she asked early that evening. Spike had taken the wheel, but no one was headed to bed yet. "It's about Willow," she said once the door was shut safely behind them. "She's getting really powerful, scarily powerful."

"I know," Giles said. "I've seen it as well."

"I had this...well, it was part dream, part vision, I guess." More lies. But Slayer dreams were not to be ignored, she knew, so maybe it would get Giles to act. "About Willow. Her eyes and hair were all black, and there was all this magic swirling around her, and...god, her voice was so dead and empty, and she said something like 'Willow doesn't live here anymore.'" Tears sprang to her eyes at the memory. "It felt...it felt really real. I don't know if it was or not, but you know how my dreams are. I'm scared for her, Giles."

Giles nodded. "She is...incredibly powerful. And power like that, unchecked, can take over."

"I know." Oh, she had to tread carefully here. "Maybe it's time for her to have help. I don't know that she could just stop doing magic." Hell, no, she couldn't. "A...a teacher or something. Too bad we can't just send her to Hogwarts," she said, smiling sadly.

"No, unfortunately, that is fiction. But there are...I do know some people. A coven, in England."

"Do you think they'd like...train her?"

"Possibly. I could look into it. The Coven does not generally take on students, but I feel a witch of Willow's talent might be of interest to them."

"Thanks, Giles."

"Buffy, I have to tell you how...proud I've been of you these past couple of weeks. Even with such a-a terrible loss as yours, your discipline, your strength, your conviction, even your insight and concern for your friends-- it all seems to have magnified, and I've only just noticed. You've...you've become one hell of a woman, Buffy."

All the implications and memories surrounding that statement set her eyes tearing again. Not only that Spike had said it, but the fact that Giles saw it, that he was proud of her when the last time around he'd been questioning her motives. She hugged him and they both wiped at their eyes. She laughed shakily. "Okay, Giles, put your British back on before I totally lose it," she said, sniffling.

The ritual day came. It was long and tense and quiet, everyone looking over their shoulders and out the windows. Willow and Tara merged their magics to strengthen the cloaking spell and add a protective shield. They all just sat, watching, waiting, Buffy gripping Dawn protectively. When the hour came, everyone held their breath. Even Anya kept quiet, just leaning on Xander's shoulder, clasping his hand. There were no clever quips, no jokes. Not a sound but the rumble of the engine as they counted the minutes. Buffy knew there was no danger from Glory herself, but the Knights and minions and Doc plagued her mind.

As the last minute ticked away, the silence held. Everyone waited until they were really sure it had passed, that no one's watch was fast. Some tacitly agreed-on magic moment came, and Spike pulled over and stopped. If they'd been any other group of people, there might have been cheers and tears, but this was just another crisis. They knew better than to jinx their good fortune with anything like joy. Willow and Tara kept the spell up, and they all rested, sleeping the sleep of the worst being over.

Their meandering circle had brought them to some nowhere town a few miles outside Reno, and no one really wanted to drive the eight hours back, even at breakneck speed. Giles offered them plane tickets, and they agreed. The group arrived at Revello Drive with a few hours to spare before sunrise. Everyone shuffled into the house, and Buffy turned to look at Spike across the threshold.

"I'll just..." he started.

"Come in, Spike," she said, unable to keep a small smile off her face.

He stepped into the house, returning the smile. And then he wasn't in front of her anymore.

Buffy wasn't really sure what happened next. There was a flurry of motion, fists flying between them, and Buffy jumped between the two vampires to form a barrier. She hauled them both over to the couch, staying between them to keep them apart. Buffy knew she'd hit someone, but she wasn't really sure if it was Angel or Spike. It had all happened too fast.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Buffy?" Angel asked, rubbing at his jaw.

Buffy stayed calm. "I don't really know what's going on here. One second I'm standing there, and the next you two were beating each other up."

"You invited Spike in!" Angel exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah I did. Angel, I love and adore you," she said. She didn't miss the smug look he shot at Spike. "But that doesn't really matter. You don't have permission to attack my friends."

"Spike's not your friend," Angel said, fuming.

"Yes, he is. And the sooner you accept that, the better off we all are." It was Spike's turn to give a smug look to Angel, and everyone else gaped at Buffy. Angel's expression grew more and more shocked as Buffy launched into the short, safe explanation of the past three weeks. She left out the part about Dawn being the Key, figuring that too many people knew already, and knowing what she knew now, she understood that Angel might not be the best person to divulge apocalyptic secrets to. She only told him that Dawn's blood had mystical properties, and that was why all these people were after her.

And even Buffy was shocked when Giles stepped in. The conversation was all blurry to her, though. Things had moved too quickly since she'd walked in the door. It was too much to process, the fight between Spike and Angel, her defending Spike. She'd hit Angel, hadn't she? She wasn't sure. The world was flashing. Giles had been saying something, she knew, a long-winded British something, but Buffy only caught the end of it in the midst of her mind spinning in fifty directions at once. "...and Angel, I've never been fond of you or Spike, you know that. But I do trust Buffy's judgement, and as she trusts him, at least for the time being, I'm inclined to agree, and I think you would do well to make your peace with it. We're all grateful for your assistance during our absence, but I believe we can take it from here."

It was blurry and weird. Everything around her seemed to blink in and out, and Buffy wondered if she was being transported back to where she'd come from. She couldn't follow anything; every time she managed to catch the thread of someone's sentence, they'd moved on to something completely different the next second. Reality was a CD, and it was skipping like mad. Things only seemed normal when she was the one talking. Some moments got stuck, repeating over and over, and when those moments stopped and time moved on, she seemed to have missed something very important. She struggled to think. Maybe it was like the exploding lint situation, when time kept fast-forwarding on her while she stood still. Or like the time in the woods when she thought she'd killed Katrina. Or the mummy hand loop. Or all three of them put together, more accurately. Was Warren behind this? She didn't think he was even in town right now, but it was too much like what she'd gotten from him and the nerds before for her to dismiss the idea entirely.

She saw Angel go out the door, and then everything slowed. All but stopped for a second, and then went back to normal. She could breathe again, felt that she was here again.

"Buffy? Are you okay?" Willow said.

Buffy shook off the confusion as best she could, trying to realign herself with what was going on. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay. I'm just really, really tired." Maybe it wasn't Warren and the nerds. Maybe it was something connected to Angel. She needed to talk to Dawn about this.

"Yeah," Willow said, smiling. "It's kinda been a really long day. Like a three-week-long day."

The rest of the gang trickled out, and Buffy heard Giles tell Willow to come see him tomorrow. She shot him a grateful smile, knowing he'd be speaking to her about the Coven. Dawn had headed up to bed before anyone left, so Buffy couldn't tell her anything. She'd do it tomorrow. Xander and Anya were the last to go, leaving Buffy alone with Spike in the living room.

"I should..." he started.

She shook her head. "It's too close to sunrise," she said, getting up to pull the drapes closed. "You should stay." She went to the linen closet and pulled out a blanket, handing it to him.

"Thanks," he said, as she started up the stairs. "For...well, everything."

She smiled, though her back was to him. "You're welcome."

* * *

Uh, yeah, remember that thing I said about the weird? That last bit was it, what with all the time-wonkiness (or whatever it is). Just trust me. It'll all make sense eventually, I promise. Also, reviewing is good for you. 


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